The Day That Was Not To Be

THE CONC:USION

AT THE HOSPITAL

Pretending herself to be physically exhausted, Anjana surrenders at the hospital, where the police officers are on guard. They request Anjana to enable them to record her statements.

Inspector: Madam, we need to clarify ourselves on certain points. Are you in a condition to cooperate with us?

Anjana (panting): Yes Inspector, I think I am reasonably fit for it, even though I have run out of some energy during the last couple of hours. And before you ask me any questions, I want to make one point amply clear: disrespecting all norms of ethics, Dr. Vipul devised treacherous schemes to kill me. By God’s grace, I narrowly escaped from his traps.

Inspector (with a smile): That would be relevant while further investigating Dr. Vipul’s misdemeanours. Presently, what we want to know is something quite different. That is this: why did you run away from the hospital and from where did you get the chloroform to knock out Dr.Vipul and the guard?

Anjana (thoughtfully): Frankly speaking, Inspector, I have a tendency to doubt anyone. And a gut feeling started growing inside me that Dr. Vipul was not alone in this game. This instinct drove me to start collecting chloroform. An inner voice whispered to me that I would find chloroform handy, one day. I collected bits and pieces from the lab, whenever Vipul took break while examining me. I had concealed shreds of cloths torn from my bed sheet, already dipped in chloroform for the D-Day. And I had to hit Vipul after rendering him unconscious so that I could escape without a doubt. Might be there are others, too, who are conspiring with Vipul to wipe me off. So the impulse of self survival drove me to run away from the hospital. Now, do you have any inkling about this, Inspector? Are there others as well, who want me to be dead?

Inspector (firmly): We don’t have any indications at this point. Perhaps, we may be able to extract some clues from Dr. Vipul. We will try that later on. For the time being, we have a last question: why did you come back, now?

Anjana (innocently): I don"t have anyone but Shrikar to fall on to. I called and met him in between. He coerced me to come here and surrender. He told me that he had arranged for police protection to save me from any untoward incidents on my life. He also promised me that he would procure my formal release from the hospital without any delay.

Inspector (puzzled): Assurance of Police protection from one Shrikar? Really? Jesus Christ! Anyway, thank you Madam, for your cooperation in responding to our questions.

With a puzzled look, he takes a sweeping glance of his subordinates

One last question: from where did you call Shrikar.

Anjana (exhausted) : From a public telephone booth nearby.

Anjana (doubtfully): Inspector, can I press charges against Dr. Vipul for trying to kill me?

Inspector: We have already filed a Suo moto case. But you can still file it individually. Anything else?

Anjana: And also for conspiring to make me mentally unstable? I now doubt that he used to give me medication for counterproductive results.

Inspector: Well, we will look into all these aspects and do the needful. But what you badly require is a well-deserved rest... (And he signals the Guard to take Anjana to her Cell.)

Anjana responds with a thanking smile and goes to her Cell with the Guard escorting her.

AT THE POLICE STATION

Inspector: What do you think, Ramesh?

Sub Inspector: Well... I think we should start off with Dr. Vipul, Sir.

Inspector: Then what about Shrikar and the police protection he promised Anjana? I think we should track his movements, too.

Sub Inspector: Yes Sir, we should be looking from that perspective, as well.

Inspector: Very well! Let"s get on with solving this puzzle.

First, they try to locate Shrikar through his mobile phone location. They gather that after dropping Anjana at the ground near the hospital, he went to the location where the farmhouse is.

When the Police reach there, they find the farmhouse locked. They break in, and find Shrikar"s body floating in the pool. They take the body outside and send it for autopsy.

After further inquiries, the Police come to know that Ravi"s company is responsible for transacting the farmhouse property to Shrikar.

Hence the investigation straight away spreads to that real estate company, also. There they get to know about Deepa, her son Ayaan and the fact that Shrikar is Deepa’s husband and Ayaan’s father. They are shocked at these revelations. They also track Ravi"s mobile location but find nothing suspicious. With Ravi and Anjana clearly out of their criminal frame, they call Deepa for questioning. Prior to that, the Police have acquired copies of many vital documents pertaining to them, like Shrikar’s Will/Testament.

Inspector (digging): If you claim to be Shrikar"s wife, then who is this Anjana?

Deepa (acting smart): See inspector, you are making a mistake. Who is this Shrikar? I don’t know. I think there is great amount of confusion.

Inspector angrily flashes out a copy of their Marriage Certificate and Ayaan"s Birth Certificate and asks:

Inspector: Then what are these?

Deepa (concealing her expressions): I don"t know, Inspector. Seriously, I am ignorant about these.

Inspector (calmly with a smile): All right. Now listen to me carefully. According to Shrikar"s will, if he dies his wife will become the sole owner of all his properties and bank accounts. We have a copy of his Will.

Deepa (confused): What of that? What do you mean?

Inspector (revealing): Shrikar is dead, now. So you are the sole owner of his assets, right? Your motive for killing him to get his wealth can be easily understood.

Deepa (trying to fight back her tears and forgetting the situation) blurts: No, never; that can"t be true. Shrikar can"t be dead. How can he be dead? Somebody must have murdered him. Yes, Anjana must have murdered him.

The officers start laughing and tell Deepa that at the time of Shrikar"s death, Anjana was with them at the Mental Hospital. In fact, Shrikar himself had dropped her there before he proceeded to meet with his death at the farmhouse, and as per his call records you were the last person Shrikar had talked to, on his mobile phone.

Deepa is arrested on charges of murdering Shrikar and is taken for questioning.

Inspector (digging): Come on, now. So, what do you know about Anjana?

Deepa, who has been deceived by her own folly, is speechless for a moment.

Deepa (trying to straighten things out): Anjana who? I don"t understand what you are talking about.

Inspector (nudging): Acting smart now, hmm? Just few moments back you were accusing Anjana of killing Shrikar. Now would you speak up the truth or do we make you to speak up?

Deepa is still adamant in maintaining that she is innocent. The police team is compelled to use force and beats black and blue out of her, until she frighteningly spills the beans.

Consequently, Vipul also is questioned and he, too, confesses to the crimes committed by him for the sake of Deepa and Shrikar.

The Court, after observing and examining all the evidences and confessions, rules that Anjana be set free from the mental asylum, and Deepa and Vipul be hanged till death for their heinous deeds against humanity. Anjana is also given custody of all the wealth that Shrikar and Deepa had collectively accumulated.

Anjana and Ravi are elevated by the court"s verdict.

Anjana (on tenterhooks): Ravi, are you still alone or married?

Ravi (with a pleasant smile): Anjana, meet Gayathri, my life partner. It"s because of her that we could achieve this.

Gayathri (with a beautiful smile): Hi, Anjana. Have heard a lot about you from Ravi. Really happy that I could be helpful.

Ravi (grabbing Gayathri"s hand and turning to Anjana): OK then, Anju. See you later. Got a lot of work to do. Need to find someone else for that farmhouse, now!

Anjana (pompous): Why do you need someone else. I will buy it as a thanksgiving token, for the efforts of you and Gayathri in securing my future.

And the three of them laugh aloud indirectly hinting at the success of their leak proof plans.

The police inspector smells something amiss and comes looking for Ravi.

Inspector (digging): So you knew Anjana before; and maybe Shrikar, too.

Ravi (trying to act normal): Yeah, inspector. Why? What happened?

Inspector: Then why did you hide the truth about Shrikar from Anjana? Or have you revealed it before?

Ravi (trying to explain): I wanted to tell her when I came to know about the truth, belatedly. But on seeing her at the asylum in that sorry state, I couldn’t muster enough courage to reveal the facts and further break her.

Inspector (prodding): By the way, where were you when the murder took place?

Ravi (thinks and then says): I suppose I was sleeping.

And Ravi turns to Gayathri for support

Gayathri (defending Ravi): I think you were soundly sleeping after continuously working for about two days.

Inspector (with growing suspicion but without having even a straw of evidence to substantiate it): OK, OK; I got it. You were not involved at all. Am I right?

They nod in affirmation.

Inspector (smiles): Good day, then.

The inspector leaves. Ravi and Gayathri bid good bye to Anjana and go their way.

Anjana thinks about Ravi proposing to her and smiles off the consequences that could have followed, if she had agreed.

She is shown walking away from the Court holding Ayaan"s hand... praying that such a day should never have occurred in anyone"s life.